PAF Renames Crow Valley Gunnery Range (CVGR) To Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base (CERAB)

Submitted by AFPAO on Thu, 07/05/2018 - 08:37

The Philippine Air Force’s Crow Valley Gunnery Range (CVGR) was renamed to Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base (CERAB) during a formal ceremony conducted on September 28, 2016 at View Deck 1, 790th Air Base Group, CERAB in Capas, Tarlac. The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Major General Rozzano D Briguez AFP, who represented the PAF Commanding General, Lieutenant General Edgar R Fallorina AFP, joined the Ravina family, headed by Colonel Ernesto V Ravina Jr. PN (M) (GSC), in honoring the momentous occasion.

Upon arrival, the 710th Special Operations Wing accorded MGen Briguez with arrival honors where he was received by the Wing Commander, Brigadier General Laurcris P Tumanda AFP. After the honors, he escorted the CAS to the Wing’s Visitors Lounge.

During the conduct of the ceremony at View Deck 1, it highlighted the reading of orders of the renaming of the base, and unveiling and blessing of the marker.

The CVGR was renamed to CERAB in honor of the achievement of then Colonel Ernesto P Ravina PAF during the siege of the Sulu Air Task Group (SATAG) in Jolo, Sulu way back in 1974 that earned him the Distinguished Conduct Star (DCS) award.

In his speech, Colonel Ravina Jr. articulated how overwhelmed he was after the PAF honored the achievement of his father. He also added that every hero deserves to be commemorated, but renaming a PAF base in honor of his father is a legacy to the Ravina family that cannot be bought.

The CERAB, which spans for more than 18,000 hectares, is under the control of the PAF where aerial combat training, which includes live firing, bombing exercises, and ground unit maneuver have been conducted since 1999. In the past, it served as the “Zone C” of the former Clark Air Base in Pampanga and Tarlac, which was part of the base lands leased to the United States military under the Philippine-US Military Bases Agreement.

Photo by: Sgt Tombado